I'm making Part Two of my AfroPanamanian threat started here: on the native/colonial Black Panamanians, and I'll start it off with a story. In Miami, I had a friend who was from Panama, his mom was a Mestiza and she she told me...
that the dark skinned people (Black people) you see in Panama are of Jamaican descent. So this taught me that a stereotype exists there too, like in DR if you're Black or dark skinned you're assumed to be Haitian, it's as if in Panama, you're assumed to be Jamaican which is very
incorrect. Both #Panama and the #DominicanRepublic have native/colonial Black populations, and this thread will be for my people, directly related to continental AfroColombians, los "negros coloniales" (black colonials) of Panama!
Like in Caribbean Colombia, the native Blacks of Panama make Bullerengue music and it's also referred to as Congo music in Panama. Here's a song that's been interpreted over and over again through out Spanish-speaking Black communities:
the Black Panamanian community in El Darien, Panama, which is a rainforest region similar to Choco, Colombia:
Bullerengue Darien, Panama
A ti Nada más. This music is so soothing and homely.
So for the people in the United States reading this, most of the time when you meet Black Panamanians in the states in places like Brooklyn, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles they tend to be Antillean-descendants hence, the English surnames.
Native Black Panamanians don't tend to emigrate from Panama very much. It may be because they feel truly at home being there since the colonial days. Antillean Panamanians descend from migrants from Jamaica, Barbados and other islands, and now have again migrated to the states.
I think they're used to island hopping and/or migrating, which is common to do in the Caribbean islands. However, since Americans only get to (mostly) meet Antillean-Panamanians there's a belief now that all Black Panamanians are "West Indian" who love Reggae which is incorrect.
Native Black Panamanians don't speak English; Spanish is the native language, and the Black music: Bullerengue, Bunde, Musica Congo is made in Spanish as you have been hearing if you've played the videos on this thread.
More Congo music from Miramar, Colon, Panama
I also have a theory that the Black Antillean-Panamanians are more popular due to making popular modern Black music, Reggae and Dancehall and the more African traditional music of Native Black Panamanians has been kind of forgotten about therefore aren't highlighted as much.
I haven't lived in Panama so I'm only theorizing from my experiences with friends who live in Panama, and keeping up with Panamanian culture in the states and online. I myself love Panamanian Reggae, but I also love the traditional African-Panamanian music so I promote it.
In Colombia, in recent years there has been a resurgence of love for traditional AfroColombian music with the Petronio Alvarez festival growing so large in Cali, Colombia. So my question for the Panamanians is, what's the level of embracement on the traditional music?
@thelaura_lou @soulfulafro I would love your input on the question! Please also RT asking other Panamanians, I'm here to learn as well!
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